Subscribe via RSS Feed
So you know you need to connect and you need to connect to the influencers, opinion leaders, buzz meisters, etc.. Now what?
Get involved with them and get them involved in your marketing. But, between blogs, forums, podcasts and social media web sites, choosing a channel, or mix of channels, will make a difference in how you engage your customers. Let’s look at a few options and see how you might use them:
There’s two sides to most aspects of blogging – the easy side and the not so easy side. It’s easy to set up a blog; you can do so in minutes. Blogging is not so easy; you need quality content and to know what other bloggers are saying. Finding out what others are saying is easy - search for and read their blogs. Engaging them is not so easy – but, Mack Collier can show you how to do so in a day.
Getting engaged with bloggers can have immediate results. A single response to a blog from Kyle Johnson, Saturn Automobile’s Communications Director, resulted in a bundle of buzz.
Forums
Getting into a forum is perhaps the easiest way to participate in a C2C conversation. Finding a forum is also easy - Google your industry/company/product name followed by the word “forum” (if none show up, start one!). Even if the first results are not exactly what you’re looking for, they will likely lead you there.
Sometimes conversations that are pertinent to your C2C marketing take place in seemingly unrelated forums. You can keep an ear in forum portal sites, such as Craigslist or Topix, that link to a variety of forums, just in case you hear something interesting.
Here’s an example that highlights both of these points. I googled a random industry term “shoe repair” followed by the word “forum”. Sure enough, I got links to shoe forums – but the fifth link was different. Who would think a shoe repair service in Maastricht would find a plum opportunity in a travel forum!
Social Media Sites
Here we go - there are over 233 social media web sites and even more ways to engage customers through them. Lets look at a few of the higher profile sites:
FaceBook and MySpace
Perhaps the most iconic of social media sites. Users congregate in groups and networks based on common interests, schools, workplaces, location, friendships; whatever they have in common – which might include you.
A couple of pointers:
- Search for the groups and networks that might be talking about you.
- Look at the numbers, most groups and networks will list numbers of members or numbers of groups, use this information to spot the most popular because buzz meisters will be there. Here’s a tip – most groups and networks will list a host or administrator and they very often lead the conversation.
- Send them a message. Let them know when you post a blog or if you find something that might be of interest to them. Address their issues, good or bad and respond to their concerns.
- Make your own group – like Starbucks did.
YouTube
Can $1.6 billion be wrong? YouTube’s popularity continues to grow and more companies are finding more ways to use it. A couple of examples
- The New Zealand Tourist Board got over 600,000 views in a week for a video they posted to YouTube – for no charge.
- The National Geographic channel is one of many YouTube “Partner” channels, which means they are a major draw of viewers and are eligible for a share of advertising revenues.
Whatever medium, or mix of media you choose, you can get an idea of what’s possible by looking at how other companies are engaging customers. Build on their experience and make your own mark. Remember, whatever C2C marketing initiatives you undertake, it’s all about customer service.
I’d love to hear about any other ideas for engaging your customers and potential customers.
Over 120 pages of tips and techniques to
